VN Ren'Py Forgotten Pathways [v0.3] [Ochilochin]

[Ochilochin]

Any news about the next update date?

I can't wait to see the next episode.

Thank you for such a great game - Ochilochin

Good to know that you liked it!
I can't tell when it will happen. I have been pretty busy lately, with very limited free time
But I've been developing chapter 4 with a lot of care and I promise it will be a very nice update <3

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[iIIusory]

love the girl designs. excited to see how the story progresses from here!

 

[malaac2025]

Any idea when we will see next update?

 

[Jimskeleton]

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Hey all

Today is my birthday <3 <3 <3 <3

Before going out to celebrate, I wanted to share some good news and remind everyone that the next chapter will be out eventually. I may be working at a much slower pace, but I am much happier now and working on every scene with the same excitement I had in the beginning. I know it's boring to wait for so long, but this way I don't lose interest in creating the game. I'm also learning new skills, and learning takes time.

Progress in numbers:
- 625 renders
- 6 animations
- +1,100 lines of code / +7,730 words

For now, a magical sneak peek

Spoiler

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An updated and complete chapter preview will be posted next week for my patrons <3

Have a wonderful weekend!
- Ochi

 

[Jimskeleton]

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Hey, everyone.

Unfortunately, I had to make a difficult decision. Forgotten Pathways has not been abandoned but will be on a long hiatus.

I’ve mentioned that I was very excited about creating Chapter 4, and I truly was! I was nearing 50% and finally happy with the result, both in terms of image quality and animations. But this week I found out that a professional opportunity, which was initially supposed to happen in two years, will now take place in 6 months. This is an opportunity I can’t pass up, and I will need to dedicate myself to it for the next 6 months. This opportunity will not only provide me with significant financial stability but will also reduce my workload, allowing me to dedicate myself to personal projects (like this game) with much more time and peace of mind in the near future. Although I treat Forgotten Pathways as a hobby, it’s a hobby that takes up too much time.

It's the most rational decision possible, and I know that in the long run, I'll be grateful for choosing this path, but it hurts a lot, especially since I’ve progressed so much with this chapter and I was enjoying it a lot. I'm very sad that I won't be able to share the continuation of this story with you (for now).

I know this seems like a farewell, but it isn’t. Even though it may take some time, I will come back with much more free time

I want to thank EVERYONE who has helped me during this ~1 year of development. Your support means the world to me and you all have a special place in my heart.


Ps. I'll leave my page active because I'll be back, but I'm going to pause the billing cycle so that no one will be charged from today onwards, and so you'll have time to switch the membership to free if you want. Eventually, I'll post some FP renders here, and any updates regarding the game's development, you'll be the first to know

I am still active on Discord, so if you need to talk to me, feel free to reach out there <3

Thank you all for everything and see you soon!
Ochi

 

[LordWanze]

Then simply: all the best for this opportunity.
Thank you for the information and I hope you'll return soon.

 

[single_guy_from_au]

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Hey, everyone.

Unfortunately, I had to make a difficult decision. Forgotten Pathways has not been abandoned but will be on a long hiatus.

I’ve mentioned that I was very excited about creating Chapter 4, and I truly was! I was nearing 50% and finally happy with the result, both in terms of image quality and animations. But this week I found out that a professional opportunity, which was initially supposed to happen in two years, will now take place in 6 months. This is an opportunity I can’t pass up, and I will need to dedicate myself to it for the next 6 months. This opportunity will not only provide me with significant financial stability but will also reduce my workload, allowing me to dedicate myself to personal projects (like this game) with much more time and peace of mind in the near future. Although I treat Forgotten Pathways as a hobby, it’s a hobby that takes up too much time.

It's the most rational decision possible, and I know that in the long run, I'll be grateful for choosing this path, but it hurts a lot, especially since I’ve progressed so much with this chapter and I was enjoying it a lot. I'm very sad that I won't be able to share the continuation of this story with you (for now).

I know this seems like a farewell, but it isn’t. Even though it may take some time, I will come back with much more free time

I want to thank EVERYONE who has helped me during this ~1 year of development. Your support means the world to me and you all have a special place in my heart.


Ps. I'll leave my page active because I'll be back, but I'm going to pause the billing cycle so that no one will be charged from today onwards, and so you'll have time to switch the membership to free if you want. Eventually, I'll post some FP renders here, and any updates regarding the game's development, you'll be the first to know

I am still active on Discord, so if you need to talk to me, feel free to reach out there <3

Thank you all for everything and see you soon!
Ochi

This is really sad to hear for all your fans, but we all hope that someday you will be back and we will see what happens next.

Thank you for all your efforts - Ochilochin

 

[He11oThere]

I can't get rid of the "attack on titan" vibe. But instead of capturing smth, we have to help the enemy country. Waiting for update worth it, thx

 

[buttsman69]

Damn, sad to see the hiatus just when I've finished chapter 3. But hopefully doing what you need to do will keep it fresh and far from burnout, and we can see more of you in the future!

Thanks for all your work

 

[single_guy_from_au]

I hope some day we will see the rest of this amazing game.

We loved your game - Ochilochin

 

[Ochilochin]

Hi everyone! Just dropping by to say I can't wait for this hiatus to be over and get back <3 Chapter 4 is close to 50% done, and I'll finally be able to improve the quality of the images and animations Since I can't stay completely away from the project (I love working on it too much) I end up writing a bit of dialogue here and there. Oh and a friend is helping me correct my english, sooo I hope to release a version that's not annoying for native speakers soon! Even though I'm taking a break, reading positive comments just makes me eager to return!

 

[single_guy_from_au]

Hi everyone! Just dropping by to say I can't wait for this hiatus to be over and get back <3 Chapter 4 is close to 50% done, and I'll finally be able to improve the quality of the images and animations Since I can't stay completely away from the project (I love working on it too much) I end up writing a bit of dialogue here and there. Oh and a friend is helping me correct my english, sooo I hope to release a version that's not annoying for native speakers soon! Even though I'm taking a break, reading positive comments just makes me eager to return!

Hi Ochilochin,

Look how many people liked your response (so far) - considering that you said that this awesome game is on hold now!

It looks like many people keep checking this thread hoping for the good news.

It is nice to hear from you and we (all your fans) can't wait for the next episode!

 

[Ka1tzer]

Gave the game a try and I'm quite torn. I like the plot overall (though to be honest I think the beginning is very weak and requires me to stretch my suspension of disbelief a lot), but it does progressively get more and more interesting.

Clearly a metric ton of effort was put into this game and I appreciate this a whole lot.

But man I dislike most of the characters. I echo the feeling shared by several other people who talked before me.

Spoiler: My subjective opinion on some of the girls intimate interactions with the MC

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So the character writing, particularly in relation to the characters interactions with the MC regarding intimacy, is by far, in my subjective opinion and perception, the lowest point of the game.

But it doesn't make the game bad per sé (unless you are a player who only cares about the emotional connection to the characters present in a story to the story's MC, in which case I'd say the AVN is not for you). In fact, I think the game is quite good, so long as the reader adjusts their expectations and isn't overly strict about their wants.

The beginning is fairly weak, as both Nina and her brother seem to be acting in way that's too forced or convenient for the plot to happen, given the circumstances presented. In the very beginning they are just way too nice and trusting to a complete stranger. But after this initial needed "stretch" of the players suspension of disbelief, the plot that starts unfolding gets progressively interesting.

I feel like the way the MC switches his feelings towards Dan happen a little too quickly or abruptly, but it's not terrible pacing or anything, just a tad rushed.

The whole underlying conspiracy and mystery of the plot is really building up to being something great though, and i definitely feel invested in the plot. It has all the makings of something building up for a massive payoff, and I'm definitely interested in seeing where this story is leading up to.

I know the dev mentioned she'll be putting the game on hold for a while due to real life circumstances. I understand that, and hope for all the best for her, though the wait will be rough for me as a reader. Please don't drop the game though!

Hope to get more updates as soon as things resolve for you (hopefully positively!)

PS: Realmente, Caipirinha com vodka simplesmente não é Caipirinha de jeito nenhum, haha. Achei que vc ia por Caipiroska ali dependendo da escolha.

 

[Ochilochin]

Gave the game a try and I'm quite torn. I like the plot overall (though to be honest I think the beginning is very weak and requires me to stretch my suspension of disbelief a lot), but it does progressively get more and more interesting.

Clearly a metric ton of effort was put into this game and I appreciate this a whole lot.

But man I dislike most of the characters. I echo the feeling shared by several other people who talked before me.

Spoiler: My subjective opinion on some of the girls intimate interactions with the MC

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

So the character writing, particularly in relation to the characters interactions with the MC regarding intimacy, is by far, in my subjective opinion and perception, the lowest point of the game.

But it doesn't make the game bad per sé (unless you are a player who only cares about the emotional connection to the characters present in a story to the story's MC, in which case I'd say the AVN is not for you). In fact, I think the game is quite good, so long as the reader adjusts their expectations and isn't overly strict about their wants.

The beginning is fairly weak, as both Nina and her brother seem to be acting in way that's too forced or convenient for the plot to happen, given the circumstances presented. In the very beginning they are just way too nice and trusting to a complete stranger. But after this initial needed "stretch" of the players suspension of disbelief, the plot that starts unfolding gets progressively interesting.

I feel like the way the MC switches his feelings towards Dan happen a little too quickly or abruptly, but it's not terrible pacing or anything, just a tad rushed.

The whole underlying conspiracy and mystery of the plot is really building up to being something great though, and i definitely feel invested in the plot. It has all the makings of something building up for a massive payoff, and I'm definitely interested in seeing where this story is leading up to.

I know the dev mentioned she'll be putting the game on hold for a while due to real life circumstances. I understand that, and hope for all the best for her, though the wait will be rough for me as a reader. Please don't drop the game though!

Hope to get more updates as soon as things resolve for you (hopefully positively!)

PS: Realmente, Caipirinha com vodka simplesmente não é Caipirinha de jeito nenhum, haha. Achei que vc ia por Caipiroska ali dependendo da escolha.

Hi! Thank you for playing FP and for taking the time to come here and share your opinions about it.
I found it funny that much of what you commented on, both the positives and the negatives, coincides with what I like/dislike about what I've developed. Overall, I just wanted to comment on a few things:

I'm definitely not proud of Chapter 1. Due to inexperience and lack of knowledge, I left the plot quite bad and weak. I love all of you who continued playing and got through this beginning. This story was originally written in novel format, and I was so immersed in learning the basics to technically develop an avn that I left the initial narrative very poor (and it wasn't like that in the original text, so I die inside when I see what I did with the beginning of FP). Helga's introduction is very poor, the initial interactions with Nina and Dan are strange and sound artificial. Anyway, lots of mistakes!

Regarding the girls' backgrounds and how virginity is treated, it was my fault for not building well that, within the isolated and perspectiveless society of Sirione, various classical values were "alternated." You will notice that with the girls from Ufrana it is very different. It was my mistake not to work on this contextualization in a better way.

• Overall, I'm also not proud of the speed and superficiality with which some of the relationships were handled. I feel that part of this comes from my inability to deal with 18 girls at the same time.
• Specifically in Skye's case, I handled it very poorly. I remember I was working 14 hours a day and barely had time to develop the game unless it was late at night, and my physical/mental exhaustion at the time definitely affected the quality of some parts and decisions I made in Chapter 3. I know my personal context doesn't matter, but I think it's nice to openly discuss this with you all here
• I came up with some strategies to improve character interaction for the next chapter! I know it's not possible to save 100%, but I think it will greatly improve the experience for those playing.

All of this is learning for me, and I appreciate everyone who has been helping me understand where I went wrong and how I can improve. I don't intend to stop with FP and I'm planning to create more AVNs in the near future

I'm glad you're looking forward to the continuation of the story <3 I think Chapter 4 will be more satisfying in many of these points you mentioned!

PS. Vou sempre defender a supremacia da cachaça hahah caipirinha >>>>> caipiroska

 

[Akabakka]

I'm definitely not proud of Chapter 1. Due to inexperience and lack of knowledge, I left the plot quite bad and weak. I love all of you who continued playing and got through this beginning. This story was originally written in novel format, and I was so immersed in learning the basics to technically develop an avn that I left the initial narrative very poor (and it wasn't like that in the original text, so I die inside when I see what I did with the beginning of FP)

From my perspective , and you'll feel free to correct if wrong , it felt like you were kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place during that intro . I mean by that needing the exposition , world , characters and lore setup , but rushing it because afraid it was not gonna grab people if too verbose and long . I'm not gonna directly advocate remaking that first chapter , it's often a trap and pitfall for some devs , that get stuck into remaking games instead of continuing their plot and progression . However you could maybe brush it up and improve on it , when you do catch a break .

Either way , yeah it quickly got much better , and you did find your stride . I was surprised even , when finding myself hooked

 

[Ka1tzer]

Hi! Thank you for playing FP and for taking the time to come here and share your opinions about it.
I found it funny that much of what you commented on, both the positives and the negatives, coincides with what I like/dislike about what I've developed. Overall, I just wanted to comment on a few things:

I'm definitely not proud of Chapter 1. Due to inexperience and lack of knowledge, I left the plot quite bad and weak. I love all of you who continued playing and got through this beginning. This story was originally written in novel format, and I was so immersed in learning the basics to technically develop an avn that I left the initial narrative very poor (and it wasn't like that in the original text, so I die inside when I see what I did with the beginning of FP). Helga's introduction is very poor, the initial interactions with Nina and Dan are strange and sound artificial. Anyway, lots of mistakes!

Regarding the girls' backgrounds and how virginity is treated, it was my fault for not building well that, within the isolated and perspectiveless society of Sirione, various classical values were "alternated." You will notice that with the girls from Ufrana it is very different. It was my mistake not to work on this contextualization in a better way.

• Overall, I'm also not proud of the speed and superficiality with which some of the relationships were handled. I feel that part of this comes from my inability to deal with 18 girls at the same time.
• Specifically in Skye's case, I handled it very poorly. I remember I was working 14 hours a day and barely had time to develop the game unless it was late at night, and my physical/mental exhaustion at the time definitely affected the quality of some parts and decisions I made in Chapter 3. I know my personal context doesn't matter, but I think it's nice to openly discuss this with you all here
• I came up with some strategies to improve character interaction for the next chapter! I know it's not possible to save 100%, but I think it will greatly improve the experience for those playing.

All of this is learning for me, and I appreciate everyone who has been helping me understand where I went wrong and how I can improve. I don't intend to stop with FP and I'm planning to create more AVNs in the near future

I'm glad you're looking forward to the continuation of the story <3 I think Chapter 4 will be more satisfying in many of these points you mentioned!

PS. Vou sempre defender a supremacia da cachaça hahah caipirinha >>>>> caipiroska

I always try to be honest and fair with my assessments, regardless of my own personal preferences and biases (and I try to mention those as a preference when I bring them up).

I'm glad that you didn't feel discouraged by what I wrote. It was absolutely not at all my intention with it.

Even though it isn't relevant in the context of the interaction of "player that wants product from dev", I must say I do admire people like you a lot - people who work a lot and still manage to find the time to write and develop something like this, even if only as a hobby or passion project. I've seen several other devs do it and eventually become able to be a full-time dev. I wish I had that kind of discipline to write my own stuff, haha.

I don't know if that's something you want and are looking forward to, but just know that what you do is appreciated.

Also, if anything I say or have said feels like it isn't "constructive", let me know and I'll try to contextualize and help clarify what I mean/meant. It'd be great to help improve the game and have it become better and better over time.

As a note, in regards to the characters relations in Sirione, I thought the same. The context presented does lead to some "hopelessness" that could justify, at least in part, some hedonistic-esque behaviors like the seeking of pleasure above all. After all, they are at the risk of extinction if the dome isn't dealt with. That coupled with the lack of need for accountability (since no one gets pregnant, and diseases might not even be a thing or a factor in this world of magic) does serve to justify the kind of culture presented. It does make sense and as a player I got it. But like you mentioned, it could use better in game contextualization and exposition (hopefully not in the form of info-dumps though).

It isn't my preference at all as an individual, given my tastes, but it'd still make for an interesting setting to build an interesting plot. And your plot is definitely getting more and more interesting.

I'm particularly interested in the relationships of the Ufranian people, not just with the MC but also within their own systems. Alysa for example looks to be, arguably, one of the (if not THE) most powerful magic user in the world (since she is a top dog in Ufrana and Ufrana is the world's magical superpower). And yet, she needs to submit to someone who is lower than her in all regards other than a hierarchical ladder.

Plots with interesting and complex political system and maneuvers are my jam, and I can't wait to see how it all builds up.

Lastly, I don't know if you have played or play other games (either for entertainment or maybe just for research) but I'll go ahead and recommend Wartribe Academy. It is one of only 2 other games (aside from yours) I've found and played that have a rich plot, full of political intrigue and maneuvering along with interesting characters. (There's also an update incoming for it next week, supposedly a massive one).

I don't mean to make cross-advertisement in your game's thread, sorry if it seems that way. But if you have the time, I'd recommend you check it out, even if only to check on other people's work in a similar-ish genre to yours (that being a mystery coupled with conspiracy and intrigue. The revolving plot is completely different though).

And btw, is the game's plot based on a novel you wrote? Is it available for purchase somewhere?

 

[Ochilochin]

From my perspective , and you'll feel free to correct if wrong , it felt like you were kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place during that intro . I mean by that needing the exposition , world , characters and lore setup , but rushing it because afraid it was not gonna grab people if too verbose and long . I'm not gonna directly advocate remaking that first chapter , it's often a trap and pitfall for some devs , that get stuck into remaking games instead of continuing their plot and progression . However you could maybe brush it up and improve on it , when you do catch a break .

Either way , yeah it quickly got much better , and you did find your stride . I was surprised even , when finding myself hooked

Exactly! Balancing exposition and pacing in chapter 1 was super hard. And I didn’t have any of the skills needed to develop an AVN. I was really starting from scratch and I’m also not a developer in real life (I’m a data analyst) so you can imagine how much I had to learn, which made the storytelling challenges even tougher.

I won’t reveal too much now (gotta leave some surprises for when I come back!), but yeah, some improvements are planned

 

[Ochilochin]

I always try to be honest and fair with my assessments, regardless of my own personal preferences and biases (and I try to mention those as a preference when I bring them up).

I'm glad that you didn't feel discouraged by what I wrote. It was absolutely not at all my intention with it.

Even though it isn't relevant in the context of the interaction of "player that wants product from dev", I must say I do admire people like you a lot - people who work a lot and still manage to find the time to write and develop something like this, even if only as a hobby or passion project. I've seen several other devs do it and eventually become able to be a full-time dev. I wish I had that kind of discipline to write my own stuff, haha.

I don't know if that's something you want and are looking forward to, but just know that what you do is appreciated.

Also, if anything I say or have said feels like it isn't "constructive", let me know and I'll try to contextualize and help clarify what I mean/meant. It'd be great to help improve the game and have it become better and better over time.

As a note, in regards to the characters relations in Sirione, I thought the same. The context presented does lead to some "hopelessness" that could justify, at least in part, some hedonistic-esque behaviors like the seeking of pleasure above all. After all, they are at the risk of extinction if the dome isn't dealt with. That coupled with the lack of need for accountability (since no one gets pregnant, and diseases might not even be a thing or a factor in this world of magic) does serve to justify the kind of culture presented. It does make sense and as a player I got it. But like you mentioned, it could use better in game contextualization and exposition (hopefully not in the form of info-dumps though).

It isn't my preference at all as an individual, given my preferences, but it'd still make for an interesting setting to build an interesting plot. And your plot is definitely getting more and more interesting.

I'm particularly interested in the relationships of the Ufranian people, not just with the MC but also within their own systems. Alysa for example looks to be, arguably, one of the (if not THE) most powerful magic user in the world (since she is a top dog in Ufrana and Ufrana is the world's magical superpower). And yet, she needs to submit to someone who is lower than her in all regards other than a hierarchical ladder.

Plots with interesting and complex political system and maneuvers are my jam, and I can't wait to see how it all builds up.

Lastly, I don't know if you have played or play other games (either for entertainment or maybe just for research) but I'll go ahead and recommend Wartribe Academy. It is one of only 2 other games (aside from yours) I've found and played that have a rich plot, full of political intrigue and maneuvering along with interesting characters. (There's also an update incoming for it next week, supposedly a massive one).

I don't mean to make cross-advertisement in your game's thread, sorry if it seems that way. But if you have the time, I'd recommend you check it out, even if only to check on other people's work in a similar-ish genre to yours (that being a mystery coupled with conspiracy and intrigue. The revolving plot is completely different though).

And btw, is the game's plot based on a novel you wrote? Is it available for purchase somewhere?

Oh I never feel discouraged when I receive constructive criticism. I really enjoy getting feedback like yours. And you were very clear on all the points you brought up.

I think passion project perfectly describes my relationship with FP haha <3 I don’t have expectations of becoming a full-time dev with it bc I have a pretty realistic view and know I’m reaching a small audience. But who knows in the future? I have other AVN ideas waiting to be brought to life

As for Sirione’s culture, you described it perfectly. I plan to add some elements to make that clearer in the next chapter, along with other changes that will better contextualize the girls' behavior.

If you want a little spoiler: The MC will recover their memories in Chapter 4, and many of the mysteries involving Ufrana will be revealed—how the society is organized, the political and economic situation of the country, and what’s happening with the people there who have relationships with the MC. This includes information about Alysa and what her exact role is in the story (she’s in my top 3 favorite characters, by the way, haha).

Before developing FP, I played a couple of AVNs. Sadly while we’re developing, we barely have time to play anything. Now that I’m on this development break, I’ve been playing a lot of them haha. I’ve never played Wartribe Academy but it’s added to my list! Thanks!

And yes, I wrote this novel about two years ago, but I never published it. A beta reader suggested I make an AVN with it. My reaction was "What the hell is an AVN??" The rest of the story you already know. Maybe one day I’ll publish it! We’ll see.

And thanks for all your comments and kind words

 

[single_guy_from_au]

Any news about this amazing game - Ochilochin?

 

[Ochilochin]

Any news about this amazing game - Ochilochin?

By the end of the month, I will share some news and dates with you guys